The Dark Path
by Prince Troll
Summary: The story of one student at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. A new threat to the New Republic has shown its face, and it is up to Luke Skywalker to come up with a plan of defeating it before the New Republic falls. New chapter 12 added. R&R please.
1. Prolouge and Zeph Mardone

Star Wars  
The Dark Path  
Prologue  
  
The sun was setting over Yavin 4. The forest was a green blur, Glowing in the golden yellow light of the sun. Only a few birds were sill singing. A large shadow was cast on the ground. The building that cast it stood as tall as an imperial walker and taller. It was covered by vines and surrounded by trees, except for the small clearing in front of it. A landing site. It looked old and blended with the environment.  
This was no ordinary building. This was the Jedi Academy. Students came to learn the ways of the Jedi and of the Force. It was the largest place in Yavin 4. But, then again, it was probably the only intelligently populated place in Yavin 4.  
  
The starship came out of hyperspace a fair distance from the planet. The ship was a New Republic ambassador ship. The Razor. It looked like a modified sandcrawler that could fly. Bulky and blocky. It didn't fly any better either. It looked like it could barely get to lightspeed.  
"Sir, I have the planet in sight. I think we'll make it." The pilot said over the comm system. He was young and looked fresh from training. But he seemed filled with relief. "Thank the Force, good job Lt." Said the scruffy voice of the ships commander. "I didn't think we'd make it."  
The ship seemed to have taken some damage. A lot of it. The ships recent escape was close.  
The commander thought. _Why were those pirates attacking us?_ Pirates attacked the ship in between Coruscant and Bandomeer. The ship glided closer to the planet. _What did she put on_ _this ship? And why? Couldn't she have put it on a faster, more powerful ship?_ It had been thirteen years since the destruction of the second Death Star. _Could the New Republic be_ _at war with the Imperials again?  
_ BLEEEEP! BLEEEEP! BLEEEP! The alarm sounded. Oh no! What now? "Sir! We were followed! It's the pirates!" "Get the messenger and the package off the ship!" the commander said," But first send a test, see if they shoot down our escape pods."  
"Yes, sir!" The seconds that past seemed like hours. "Negative, pod one is down."  
"Who did we lose?" asked the commander.  
"Johnson was in that pod, sir."  
"About face, launch the package behind us, towards the planet, away from us. Shoot all we have at them. We'll get that package there!"  
The ship slowly turned. It went as fast as it could go. Come on. Come on. The ship shook and rocked as it took fire. Come on!  
"Pod two away!"  
Finally.  
"Sir we can't last any longer like this!"  
"Take evasive actions. Just keep that Pod behind us until it is out of firing range. Then go to lightspeed."  
"Yes, sir!"  
The ship served to port. An energy bolt grazed it. Blaster fire was raining down on them.  
"How many are there, Lt.?"  
"Seven warships and two command ships. Sir I don't think we'll make- "  
"Lt, where is the pod?"  
"Thirty seconds until clear, Sir"  
The commander sighed. More blaster fire. The ship swerved and glided all over, avoiding fire.  
Twenty seconds...  
"Sir, another has just arrived. I've never seen one like it before."  
  
"Keep going" Fifteen seconds... "Sir, the new ship is charging some kind of weapon!"  
"Keep going"  
Ten seconds...  
"Sir-"  
"Keep going"  
Five seconds...  
"The weapon is fully charged, sir!"  
"Get us out of here, Lt!"  
The ship was half way to lightspeed. The new vessel fired a massive yellow beam. It hit the Razor directly. The Razor immediately stopped. It slowly melted from the outside in. It went to a chain reaction of explosions and burst into a fireball. It was destroyed.  
But the pod slowly drifted on. The mission was so far a success. Even though the entire crew was killed. Except for one. The pod was still intact and out of range of the pirates. It fell slowly towards its destination. Yavin 4.  
  
1  
Zeph Mardone  
  
He breathed heavily, but quietly. Every step was carefully placed. He did all he could to stay as quiet as possible. His enemy was just as quiet. All he could hear was the sound of his lightsaber, humming steadily in his hands.  
Both he and his opponent were hooded. Sweat poured from his hair down his face and nose. His body ached and strained, but somehow he kept going.  
He moved right and held his lightsaber in a defensive position. His enemy's lightsaber slammed down on his. They sizzled as the two opponents tried to push each other off balance.  
They broke off and attacked. Parrying and attacking in a smooth rhythm. On and on it seemed to last. Every muscle ached. It was hard to move.  
He kicked to his side. His foot connected. He turned and slashed down, but hit the other lightsaber. His lightsaber bounced off the other.  
He twisted with his lightsaber held high and parried another attack. His opponent kicked off of him and landed away from him. His breath now staggered and stung sharply every time he inhaled, but he could he his opponent breathing loudly as well.  
He couldn't take it any more. This was killing him. He jumped toward his enemy, bringing his lightsaber down hard, only to have his opponent parry it. He started a mad series of attacks, all being parried. He swung powerfully and accurately and finally landed a hit.  
"Ah!"  
His lightsaber grazed the shoulder of his enemy. He turned around, saber held high and...  
"Stop!" said a commanding voice overhead.  
His lightsaber was poised, but he turned it off. The voiced continued, "Remove your hoods. The match is over."  
The fresh air was almost painful it felt so good. He was a human with black hair cut short, green eyes, and a white complexion. His muscles were aching and pulling. He was hunched over breathing heavily.  
A Calamarian was on a platform above looking down at the two students. This was the Jedi Temple.  
"Your name is Zeph, correct?" said the Calamarian Jedi Master, Gunrak Moltes.  
Zeph nodded. "Zeph Mardone, sir" he said winded.  
The Jedi studied him for a minute. "The winner is Mr. Corsidorth." He finally said.  
The boy next to Zeph gave a sigh of relief and surprise.  
"What!" Exclaimed Zeph. "How did he win. I beat him."  
"You did not." Said Master Moltes in a calm voice. "You were defenseless. You must learn to control yourself."  
"In a real battle I would have killed hi-"  
"In a real battle, against a fully trained Jedi, your lack of defense would have been your undoing. That is enough." Said Master Moltes in a more commanding voice.  
"What lack of defenses?"  
"You left yourself open to an attack time and time again. Your physical pains were driving you to act foolishly and leave yourself open. A real Jedi would have blocked out the pain and waited for a mistake like yours. Like Mr. Corsidorth did. That is why he won. You are dismissed." He said firmly.  
  
The door opened and Zeph stormed out of the training room. He stopped in the corridor and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, remembering his training. Anger will consume you. A Jedi saying. He felt stupid. How could he have lost control of himself again? That was the first lesson he learned at the Academy.  
He turned down a hallway and walked down it. He took a couple of turns. His first day here he found out for himself that the Academy held secrets. Secrets that might hold past Jedi times within hem. Secrets that have to do with the future. Secrets that had to do with nothing at all. His first day, he found one. A paradise. Within the temple was an area that held a paradise.  
Zeph came here often to relax. He reached a dead end in a dimly lit corridor. He focused on it. Imagined it opening up.  
The wall started to split open slowly. Light shed through the widening opening. It continued to open until it was about two meters across. Zeph casually stepped through as the opening began to close. A forest of evergreens, a river, clearings. The beauty of the place sunk into him.  
Peace. The academy might have been made of peace, but this was the one place he could have real peace. Zeph walked along the crystal clear water casually.  
He told no one of this place. No one except his two friends. He should have gone to see them, instead of coming here. He had told them he would see them later.  
He came to a small clearing, where the water opened up into a small pond. The clear waters washed the rocks on the bank. Zeph breathed deeply. Relaxation. Peace. Only the sound of stream trickling into the pond could be heard. Quiet.  
Snap!! Zeph turned quicker than lightning. He had his light saber in his hand although he couldn't remember grabbing it. He crept towards the area the sound had come from. He found a broken twig, but nothing else. He heard the dirt crunch behind him.  
Zeph whirled around, lightsaber in hand. It's yellow glow illuminating a tall form. A massive creature stood in front of him. Fur covered it's human like body.  
"Roar!!"  
Zeph powered down his lightsaber. "You should practice your sneaking skills." He said. The creature, a wookie, hung his head in a saddened state. "But you did spook me."  
This wookie was one of Zeph's best friends, Wotapuk. He looked happier, due to the comment.  
Wotapuk was native to Kashyyk. When he was young, his parents were killed by slavers. He was sold on Tatooine to a gang of Rodian lowlives. He was one of their slaves for two years. Rick Elgsargam, an old Jedi Master, passed through Mos Espa, the city where the gang hid, and felt a strong Force out put from Wotapuk. Using the Force, he tricked the Rodians into letting Wotapuk go free. He then took Wotapuk to the academy.  
Wotapuk made some grunts in his native language.  
"I know," said Zeph, "I...forgot about the meeting. Sorry."  
As they started back toward the entrance to the opening, Zeph heard the wall open. A green Twi'Lekian girl came through seeming to be looking for someone. Vendalla Andalon, Zeph's other friend, sighed and looked disapprovingly towards him. Vendalla had come from a line of battle hardened Twi'Leks.  
Although she couldn't remember them, she had heard about them and decided to honor them through combat training. She was the first of the three to be brought to the academy. She was three when she arrived. Zeph was seven and Wotapuk nine. Now seven years later they were all sixteen.  
"We are gonna be late, what are you doing here?" Vendalla asked.  
"I'm sorry. I forgot, let's go before we are late."  
She looked at him with raised eyebrows. She had known him longer than Wotapuk and knew that he had not truly forgotten.  
"Right" she said unbelievingly. "Well, lets go then."  
Wotapuk grunted approval. The three of them hurried out of the hidden place and ran towards the meeting. Vendalla sprinted ahead with Zeph trying to keep up behind her, and Wotapuk unhappily bringing up the rear. 


	2. The Duel

2  
The Duel  
  
In a big room in the temple, the main hall, the students were gathering. An air of excitement was among them as they talked loudly amongst themselves.  
On a second level, one man stood alone. He looked on over the students thoughtfully. He had darker blond hair, a steady concentrated face, and a lightsaber dangling from his belt.  
A door on the platform opened and a man of around his age came in.  
"Master Skywalker, do you think this a good idea? Won't it make them competitive?"  
Luke Skywalker turned to the man. "I think this will be good for them. They need a way to use the Force more. Just going to classes isn't enough I think. They need more time to connect with the Force. I think this is a good way to do just that."  
"Oh" the man said worriedly.  
"Don't worry Despi, it will be fun." Luke smiled, "They need more of that at their age. " He put his arm around his friend and fellow Jedi and led him out of the door. The two began to make their way down to the first floor.  
On the first floor, a door opened and Zeph and Wotapuk, led by Vendalla, entered.  
"Oh good. It hasn't started yet." Vendalla said relieved.  
"Look, there's Master Skywalker." Said Zeph, "Let's get closer." Luke put out his hand in a quieting fashion and the students became silent.  
  
"Welcome, I'm surprised so many of you came. Well, I won't waste time, let's get right to it. As you know, this is a sort of club to help improve your lightsaber techniques and to help become closer to the force. We will meet once a month.  
"Remember, this is to improve your skills, not to label some of you better than others. Ok, how many of you are here?"  
As Luke began to count, Zeph turned to Vendalla. "He looks tired. I wonder what's wrong with him."  
"Maybe he just spent a lot of time organizing this?" said Vendalla.  
Wotapuk grunted. "No, it's not like him." Agreed Zeph as he looked at Luke.  
"Well, that's okay" Luke was saying. "We can have an odd number. Despi, do you mind if someone fights you?" Despi hook his head. "Ok, have the Academy computer pick randomly, please."  
Despi tapped controls on the display. "Alecsander Bancott." Said Despi. A kid, about Zeph's age, next to him looked suddenly shocked.  
"We will have the computer determine the pairs. You will duel with your chosen partner in the area assigned. After the duel the "winner" will explain to his opponent his tactics. Your goal is to touch your opponent on the neck.  
"As I call on your name, proceed to your area. Do not begin until every one is in their assigned area and I tell you to start."  
"Hopefully we will be paired up together or with people who we can beat easily." Said Vendalla.  
Wotapuk pointed and made a low growling noise.  
"Where?!" Said Zeph as he spun around. Wotapuk was pointing towards a boy with short, brown hair, searing green eyes, and a sneer on his face as he looked at them. He turned to a tall boy on his right and pointed towards. He said something to the other boy and they bean to laugh. This was Kye Lorr and his friend Storlon Na. Kye and Zeph never got along for some reason. Actually, Kye didn't get along with anyone. Mainly because he was a jerk.  
Wotapuk grunted and snickered. The three of them started laughing. "You did what?!" Vendalla asked incredulously.  
Zeph looked back towards Kye. BZZZZZZZZ! "Ah!" yelled Kye. BZZZZZZZZ! "Ah!" He yelled again. He hopped around trying not to attract attention to himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device emitting small laser blasts.  
Zeph, Vendalla, and Wotapuk busted with laughter. Kye looked angrily at Zeph.  
"Zeph Mardone and Kye Lorr, area ten."  
The three stopped laughing immediately. "What? Great. I have to fight this cheater." Zeph complained.  
He walked towards area ten and waited for Kye. As Kye approached, Zeph noticed that he looked extremely angry. But he felt no anger coming from him. Kye was trying to intimidate him. It wasn't going to work.  
Zeph bowed, as the students were trained to do in friendly battles. He expected Kye to do the same, but he merely turned towards Luke.  
Luke finished pairing up the students. Zeph saw that Vendalla was paired with Storlon. Wotapuk was paired with a kid Zeph hadn't seen before. There were seventeen areas each exactly alike. Every one looking at Luke, awaiting his word.  
"You may begin" Said Luke.  
Without warning Kye spun around, his red lightsaber in hand, and leapt towards Zeph in a smooth lightning fast motion. Zeph only just had time to activate his lightsaber and parry the attack. Kye struck hard and fast.  
Zeph did all he could to keep up with Kye's speed. He twisted around to avoid another attack. He was being extremely defensive. But that was his plan. He would wear down Kye and take the offensive. He dodged and parried each attack . Not even trying to attack.  
Zeph jumped over Kye and twisted around parry an attack. He moved as quickly as lightning, as smooth as water.  
Kye brought down a hard slash. Zeph rolled to the side and dodged it. He jumped towards a pillar, dodging Kye's lightsaber. As he hit the pillar he used his momentum to jump off of it and glide over Kye.  
It was his turn. Zeph landed behind Kye and brought his lightsaber down. Kye parried but had to immediately react to Zeph's next attack. Zeph saw his opening and went for it. Kye had put his hand into his pocket and left his left side open.  
Zeph struck but as he swung, Kye pulled another lightsaber from his pocket. Kye struck hard and quick. Zeph parried but was knocked off balance. Before he could regain his balance, Kye swiftly stowed the second lightsaber in his pocket and simultaneously tapped Zeph in the neck.  
It didn't really hurt him but surprised him. He hit the ground and powered down his lightsaber.  
"You cheater!!" Said Zeph.  
"Surprised I beat you, Zeph, can't see how. I always do."  
"You couldn't beat me even if I had no lightsaber at all!"  
"I just did beat you." Kye was calm but cocky at the same time. He showed no sign of being tired. "And oh yeah, I have to explain why you lost. I'm just that good. And you need help. Sorry there is no nice way to put it. You are a terrible Jedi student. But I told you this before. You know it by now."  
He walked past Zeph towards the students who already finished. Zeph stood. I would have won Zeph thought. But he couldn't help think that he had lost two duels in one day. 


	3. The Message

3  
The Messenger  
  
The last duel was between two kids that Zeph didn't know so he didn't pay any attention to them. Instead he talked to Vendalla and Wotapuk about their duels. "He was really stupid. I mean, he actually dropped his lightsaber and pretended to faint. He really thought he would fool me. I poked him in the neck and he started screaming."  
Wotapuk told of his battle in his language. It turned out that the kid he was paired with was one of the best duelers in the academy. He lost in less than three minutes. Zeph was about to tell them about his battle with Kye when the final duelers walked over.  
Luke stood from his meditative stance and smiled. "Well, that's all for tonight. You all did well. Next month we will do this again. You are dismissed." As the students stated standing and leaving the room, Luke walked over to Zeph. "Zeph can I see you for a minute?"  
"Um, sure, sir. See you guys later." He said to his friends as they left the room.  
"Follow me" said Luke. Luke led Zeph to the second floor of the main hall. They entered a room that was decorated with absolutely nothing. There was not a single item in the room. Luke kept walking until he reached the wall. He waved his hand to the side and they wall split opened, like the secret garden entrance. Luke stepped through and Zeph followed. They had entered a room that looked more like an office. Luke walked to a stone chair and sat down. He waved his hand casually and a second chair slid across the floor. "Sit down, please." Said Luke politely; "I watched your duel with Mr. Lorr a little while ago. You did very well. But you still did not achieve your goal of defeating him? I'm curious, do you know why you where defeated, Mr. Mardone."  
"Well, he cheated, sir." As soon as Zeph heard his own words he realized how childish they sounded.  
Luke studied him for a moment. "Let's say that you where dueling Mr. Lorr and you were trying to kill each other. Pretend that this was a battle that might happen if you were a Jedi Knight on a mission. What would you do if he cheated?"  
Zeph knew where this was going. "I wouldn't be able to do any thing about it. If he had been a sith or something he would do anything to win."  
"Exactly. I understand that you and Mr. Lorr are somewhat rivals. I get the feeling that you think he is a cheater and that the way he duels should not be allowed." Luke said in a friendly voice. He didn't want to discourage him but encourage him. "But I see his fighting technique as clever, not evil. He uses not only his speed and talent with a lightsaber but his wits and thinking power. He is doing what I want all of you to do. Use every ounce of your strength, and every idea you have. Do you understand my logic?"  
Zeph thought about what Master Skywalker had said. "You want me to learn to, well, "cheat"."  
"Yes. Use your environment. Plan ahead. Be prepared. And most of all don't use these tactics out of hate. Hate only leads to the Dark Side.  
Zeph thought or a second. "I understand Master."  
"Then you are dismissed." Luke said kindly.  
  
The forest was thick with life. There were animals all over. A small mammal hurried down a trail. The odd thing about this was that there were no trails in the thick, Yavin forest. The "trail" was made up of an approximately three fourths of a kilometer of land that looked as if some thing forced it's way through everything. Trees were knocked over. The earth seemed to be flowing in one direction. At the end of this "trail" was Pod 1 from the Razor. It seemed to have taken a lot of damage upon landing.  
Bang! Bang! The door had been jammed during landing. Bang! The door was forced open. A cloaked man crawled out. He stood up and studied his surroundings. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He pressed a few buttons on it and it beeped. Continuing to look at it, he turned around and started walking.  
He walked for a few hours and did not look up from the device. When he reached a clearing. The clearing was home to what seemed ancient rune stones and markings on the trees surrounding. This would suffice.  
The man pulled out his blaster and fired off a few shots at a nearby tree. A tree limb fell on the ground. The man walked over and dragged the man-sized limb back to the middle of the clearing. He pulled another device from his pocket and pointed it at the limb. The device beeped and a small tube ejected from it. The tube sped ashes on to the limb and it caught fire.  
The man put the devices back into his pocket. The man continued to make camp and spent the night here. The next day, the man woke up before dawn. He pulled out his device and continued following. The next few hours were uneventful and he continued to watch his device. After noon had passed he reached the top of a hill. He looked up and could see his destination, which was taller than the trees. The man continued down the hill.  
He heard a sound and stopped. He listened intently. He heard another click. He dove and rolled behind the closet tree. He peered out. Something was standing where he was seconds ago. It had some kind of protective gear covering its body. Except for its head. It was a species he had never seen before. He needed to avoid it for he knew what it was. A bounty hunter, hired to prevent him getting to his destination.  
The man pulled out his blaster and crept away. He walked back wards and kept his eye on the creature. It seemed to be looking. For him.  
The bounty hunter stopped. The man stopped too. The hunter was listening. It spun around and fired three blaster bolts in the man's direction. The man walked out into plain view.  
The bounty hunter spoke in Rodian. "I don't think so." Said the man. He sounded like he was middle-aged, but extremely tired from his journey thus far. The bounty hunter smiled and fired his blaster.  
The man rolled to the side and started shooting. He used the trees as cover but his enemy did they same. The man ran through the brush of the forest while shooting at his enemy. He needed to get out of here. He started running towards his destination, guarded by the trees. But the hunter ran after him. The man fired a few shots behind him. He came up to a large boulder. He ran behind it and started to climb it. The bounty Hunter ran past it. The man took aim and fired. The bounty hunter collapsed on to the swampy floor. The man jumped off the boulder and ran to the hunter.  
"Assassins" he said with a sigh. He turned around and headed for his destination. The Jedi Academy. 


	4. Leia's Messenger

4  
Leia's Message  
  
It was morning. But it was too early to get up yet. Zeph didn't even open his eyes. He tried only to fall back asleep. Pointless. He lay there for what seemed like an hour. He knew he would not fall asleep again. He should probably get up, but something kept him from doing so.  
Instead, Zeph lay there and thought about the conversation he had with Master Skywalker. He had to admit. He did not expect Luke to say what he did. At the time he did not understand what Luke meant. He lied when Luke asked if he understood. But as he replayed the conversation in his head, he thought it obvious what Luke had meant.  
Zeph started to drift off when he noticed a soft light through his eyelids. Zeph had been curious about this method of waking up the students when he first came to the academy. He had done a study of the original Jedi Temple. It had been around for a long time before the Clone Wars. When the Empire began to control the galaxy, it was no more. This method of waking the students was actually a simulation of the sunrise. Luke obviously liked the idea and integrated it into the students' daily routine.  
Zeph opened his eyes and sat up. Each student had his or her own quarters. They were simple and small, but cozy and relaxing at the same time. Zeph had his quarters perfectly clean. He did not like sloppiness. His lightsaber was on his nightstand, so he could use it at a moment's notice.  
The students first went to the morning meal before their lessons. Zeph put on a training tunic and headed out. He made sure to look for Wotapuk and Vendalla. He had not seen them since the meeting last night. He wanted to tell them what Luke had said.  
Zeph continued searching for them and finally spotted Wotapuk, who was eating alone. Vendalla was probably still meditating. He went to the serving area of the mess hall and got his breakfast. The food at the academy was usually very nutritious. All Zeph had on his plate was an apple. He wasn't hungry.  
He sat down next to Wotapuk. "Where is Vendalla?" he asked. Wotapuk looked around for a second and pointed. Vendalla was getting her food.  
When she sat down, she immediately asked, "What are you waiting for? What did he say?" "He told me how he thought Kye was clever and that we need to do stuff like what Kye did."  
  
Wotapuk made an irritated grunt. Zeph hadn't yet told them what how Kye won their duel. "He used two lighsabers when at first, he was only using one. He cheated."  
Vendalla thought for a moment. "I get it."  
"What?"  
"What Luke said. Two lightsabers is actually a style of combat. I've been thinking about trying it out. I studied it, and it would give me an advantage."  
"Oh." Zeph felt even more foolish. "When is the next meeting?"  
Wotapuk made some noises in answer. He didn't know. Zeph thought about his schedule. The students usually had only two or three lessons a day. The Jedi used most of their time in study or in meditation. Zeph had Lightsaber Teams and Force Studies. Zeph enjoyed most of his lessons. He looked forward to lightsaber teams. This lesson only had four people at a time; most lessons usually had around ten or more.  
Half an hour later, the three walked off into the main corridor. Wotapuk turned down a smaller corridor towards his first lesson. He expected Vendalla to go down different corridors than he did. But she stayed with him.  
Zeph was almost to the training room for this lesson when Vendalla asked, "Where are you going?"  
"Lightsaber teams."  
"Cool. Me too."  
As they entered the training room, Zeph saw a second lightsaber dangling from Vendalla's belt. She was going to try her duel lightsabers today. Then he saw another thing.  
"Oh, no. Vendalla, look to your left."  
Vendalla turned and saw him too. Kye. He looked extremely happy to see them. He had Storlon with him.  
Before any of them said anything, another person entered the room. Jedi Master Flor Xata. She wasn't very tall, Zeph was taller, but she was a great fighter. She had dark red hair pulled back into a bun, a round, young face, emerald eyes, and a very serious look. But that is how she always looked. She was never laid back. And she couldn't have been over 30 years old. Most of the masters were much older.  
"Sorry I'm late. Let's get started. Andalon and Mardone vs. Lorr and Na." Every one got into a ready stance. Kye pulled out his lightsaber and twirled it around. Storlon's lightsaber, red like Kye's was somewhat thinner than everyone else's. Probably for speed. Zeph ignited his lightsaber and stood at the ready. Vendalla ignited both of her lightsabers, they where both deep, dark purple colors. When she did this, Storlon froze with fear. Last time he fought her, he lost miserably. That was when she had only one lightsaber. Now she had two. Zeph noticed how sinister and scary the color of her lightsabers next to her bright green skin looked.  
The object of a team match was to eliminate both members of one team by touching their neck. "Begin." Master Xata said.  
Vendalla jumped towards Storlon and slashed. He parried but just barely. Kye did not jump straight for Zeph. Instead he slowly walked towards him. Zeph took the offensive. He attacked but Kye parried. Zeph expected Kye to stay on the defensive but he did not. He attacked as soon as Zeph did. They were both attacking and both defending. Zeph attacked continuously and defended just as much. He was surprised at the fact that he was doing both. Usually he was either on the offensive or the defensive. Kye attacked high. Zeph rolled to avoid it and attacked low. Kye jumped over him but instead of attacking he went straight for Vendalla, who was fighting Storlon.  
Zeph ran as fast as he could to catch up but Kye was too far ahead. Vendalla was in a lightsaber lock with Storlon. Both his lightsaber and one of hers were touching and they were trying to knock each other off balance. Kye jumped with his lightsaber raised to attack. Vendalla knew he was coming before he jumped. The Force guided her lightsaber to lock with Kye's lightsaber as he came down.  
Zeph knew she couldn't hold both of them, even with the Force. He jumped to attack Kye. But Kye was expecting him. He pulled his second lightsaber out of his pocket and locked with Zeph.  
Flor looked astonished. She had never seen a four-person lightsaber lock. Zeph thought about what Luke had said and knew what to do. He kicked out at Kye with his right foot and hit Kye in the side.  
"Uh!" Kye twirled around to attack Zeph with both lightsabers. Vendalla used her extra lightsaber to attack Storlon. He parried but forgot about the first lightsaber and was hit in the neck. Kye's anger was surging from him. He fought wildly and fiercely. Vendalla moved to Kye's side and attacked. Kye was holding them both off.  
Zeph caught Vendalla's eye and knew what she was going to do. Zeph moved into a lightsaber lock with Kye. Vendalla locked with his other saber. Vendalla was about to use the same tactic she used with Storlon. But before she could, Kye jumped up, still in lightsaber locks with both Zeph and Vendalla, and pushed off of both of them. In the same motion he spun around and slashed Zeph in the leg.  
Zeph fell to the floor. Kye landed. He attacked Vendalla. They were the two best duelers in the entire academy. The fight was fast. Zeph could barely keep up with them. They both kept up a constant speed and sharpness with their lightsabers. The lightsabers of the students were always on low power to prevent injuries during training. Zeph's leg had only been stunned. He jumped up and joined in the fray. Kye twisted to avoid three lightsabers and landed in a crouch facing Zeph. Kye jumped towards Zeph with all of the strength in his legs. He was coming fast. Zeph tried to parry both lightsabers but failed. He parried the first lightsaber but missed the second one. The one aimed for his neck. He was eliminated.  
Vendalla continued to fight Kye. Neither of them was giving up. Zeph went to stand next to Master Xata. He knew Vendalla was an extremely good duelist. But he never knew she was this good. And although he would never admit it, Kye was just as good.  
Vendalla kept her attacks frequent. Kye was trying to attack as much as he could and was doing a good job. He was pushing Vendalla onto the defensive. As they continued fighting, Zeph saw Kye stumble. Vendalla saw it too and took advantage of it. She swung with all of her might at Kye's unbalanced lightsabers. Her attack connected and he fell. But before he hit the ground, Vendalla was already in the air. She landed next to Kye's head at the same time he hit the ground and tapped him on the neck. It was over.  
Both of them powered down their lightsabers. Kye stood as Master Xata walked up to them. "That was an amazing display. By all of you. Mr. Lorr, Miss Andalon, you both are to be recognized by the academy in the Master Duelers List." Both of them looked at her amazed. This was the highest honor a student could achieve. Flor looked truly astounded and happy, which was strange because usually you couldn't get her to even smile. Zeph felt Kye's anger leave him instantly. Zeph was happy for Vendalla but at the same time disappointed with himself.  
  
"Hello, I am D-569. How can I help you?"  
The man in the cloak was in the Cargo Bay of the academy. "I need to speak with Luke Skywalker."  
"Please come with me."  
The man had expected some kind of security check. But then again this was Luke Skywalker. The protocol droid led him to a lift. The lift took them all the way to the top of the building. The droid entered a door to the right.  
"Master Skywalker, this man would li-"  
"I know. Thank you." The droid turned out of the door. Luke was sitting with his legs crossed looking out of the window. Luke was far different the last time the man saw him. But that was over ten years ago. People change. Both of them had.  
Luke stood up and turned around. His face was blank at first. Then he broke into a smile. "How are you doing, Wedge?"  
The man removed his hood. Wedge Antilles was a general of the New Republic and the leader of Rouge Squadron. He and Luke had fought in the rebellion against the empire together. He was smiling as well. "Can't fool you, old friend. I'm doing good. How are you?"  
Luke's smile faltered. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure. I have sensed a major disturbance in the Force."  
"That's why I am here. I have a message from your sister. It is top secret. I don't even know what it is about. She told me that it was imperative that I get it to you fast." Wedge handed Luke a holographic projector. He pressed a button on the side. "Shall I wait outside, Luke?"  
"No. I think this concerns you as well." Luke put the projector on the ground. Princess Leia Organa, Luke's sister, appeared. She was dressed in elegant government gowns, she had her waist length hair in multiple braids; she looked like the leader of the New Republic. That was good because as the leader of the New Republic it would have been improper to look otherwise. But she looked distressed, although she hid it well.  
"Luke, this message is of the utmost importance. The New Republic has received word of a growing enemy. The Bothan spies have told us that it could be a bigger threat than the empire. A sith army is being trained on the abandoned planet of Gala. Nothing has come to or from that planet since the Clone Wars. It is a suitable place to hide. A man named Darso Kentwood contacted the spies. The sith there have taken captives from other planets to do their bidding. This one contacted the spies. He told the spies that the sith are growing in number. They are planning to destroy the New Republic. If they succeed, the galaxy will be just as vulnerable as it was in the time of the empire. There is no telling what would happen after that. We cannot allow this to happen. I don't know what to do. All I know is that the New Republic needs the help of the Jedi."  
The holograph disappeared. Luke did not look up from the spot it had been a moment ago. Wedge was shocked. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What do we do?"  
"We have to talk with her. In person. There is more to it than what she said. She wouldn't risk putting more critical information on this." Luke said holding the projector. "We need to go quickly." He pressed a button on the wall. "Despi, will you come to my office. We need to talk."  
  
Despi spoke through the intercom. "Yes, sir."  
"Hurry." 


	5. Zeph's Mission

5  
Zeph's Mission

The four students walked out of the training room. Kye and Storlon turned left. Zeph and Vendalla went straight. "So, how did it work?" Zeph asked.  
"I loved it! This is my new style of lightsaber fighting! I'm thinking about asking Master Xata for private lessons. You are welcome to come to."  
"Yeah, that would be good. What do you have next? "  
"Force Healing Practices. You?"  
"Force Concentration."  
"Okay. I'll see you later then."  
Zeph turned down another corridor and left Vendalla. He headed towards his second lesson. He had a slight limp. The last battle had been physically hard on him. As he walked he focused on the pain. It slowly melted away and he continued walking normally.  
His Force Concentration lesson was next. He entered the training room and Alecsander Bancott walked in behind him. There were 14 large boulders lined up across the room. Master Despi Mithlin waited until all of the students were in the room. There were 13 students standing in a circle around him.  
"Can everyone please line up along these boulders? Good." Each boulder had a platform hovering a foot off the ground in front of it. The students stood in front of each platform. "Now, everyone stand on their platform and follow." Master Mithlin stood in front of his own boulder and summoned the Force. The boulder in front of him began to rise.  
The students did the same. Most of the boulders were shaky but all of them went into the air. The rose higher and higher until they were over the heads of all of the students. Everyone was focused.  
Master Mithlin Jumped straight into the air and landed on his boulder. Zeph was one of three to land up there on the first attempt. The boulders continued rising with the students on top of them. They reached the middle height of the room. Master Mithlin's boulder stopped. The student followed suit. Then they slowly began to spin. Then they circled the room.  
They continued patterns like this for nearly half an hour. Then they returned to the ground. Everyone was breathing heavily. Except Master Mithlin. "Miss Intik, what is required to lift these boulders?"  
A girl in the front answered, "Complete focus and concentration on the force. Having a picture in your head of the rocks rising."  
"Good. You are dismissed."  
Zeph walked out of the room. He made his way towards his quarters. The entire day had been exhausting. He planned to stop by his friends' rooms and leave them a message. He had to get some rest and heal.  
He stopped at his friends' rooms and wrote messages for them. They had each other's access codes for times like these. He continued on to his room.  
He entered and knew immediately that someone had been in there. Nothing was out of place or missing. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. He went to his cot and saw a datapad laying on it. He picked it up and read:  
  
_Mr. Mardone  
I am assigning you to go to Corellia with Master Moltes. A group of unidentified bandits is creating mayhem all over the capital city. We think they are planning to create enough chaos to direct the attention of the people and government from their selves so they can kill the governor. They do not pose much of a threat to the Jedi but they must be stopped. Your transport leaves tomorrow at 2:00 in the afternoon be at the main hangar. Good luck.  
  
Master Luke Skywalker_  
  
Zeph sighed. Every once and a while the younger students, like himself would be sent on a mission like this. The people would ask for help and usually the older students, who where in their twenties and up, would go with a Jedi Master. The younger students didn't go near as often but it was good training.  
If he had to go on this mission tomorrow, he needed to get his sleep.  
  
Luke was in the hangar bay. Upon request the New Republic had given him five x-wings for times like this. He hoped into the cockpit of the one on the far left. Wedge entered the hangar and ran to the x-wing next to his. Luke flipped a switch and the x-wing came to life. He tapped a few more buttons and it lifted off of the ground. Wedge's did the same. He flew it carefully towards the opening of the hangar and pressed another button. The foils closed as he exited. Luke kept the foils open so they were ready for attack in case of emergency. He angled up towards the sky and was off. Wedge was close behind him.  
"Alright Wedge, let's get there as fast as we can. Prepare to make the jump."  
"Yes, sir. Ready."  
"3...2...1, mark!"  
The x-wings' engines glowed blue and the ships shot out faster than the speed of light. They were in hyperspace. "Luke, what do you think it is that Leia left out of the message?"  
"I'm not sure but we are going to find out."  
About an hour later the ships slowed dramatically. They fell out of hyperspace. "Okay Wedge, let's keep our eyes open, the sith may already be here."  
Ahead the capital planet of the New Republic came into view. The only system which was made up of one city, spanning the entire planet. Coruscant.


	6. The Story of the Sith

6  
The Story of the Sith  
  
"Princess, two fighters are approaching the planet. Shall I allow them access to the main landing pad?" The chief of security said over the COM link.  
  
"Yes. Thank you." The voice of a woman on the other side answered. The voice belonged to Princess Leia Organa. She was the head of the New Republic and sister of Luke. She was dressed in her best looking New Republic gown and looked very pretty. Her waist length hair was braided with ribbons. She wore a beautiful ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. She was married to Luke's greatest friend Han Solo. Despite her beautiful appearance, she looked worried and she didn't hide it well.  
  
Luke guided his x-wing to the landing pad. He checked to make sure that all of the systems were off line before climbing out. He waited for Wedge, who landed further off from him, and made his way towards the Chancellor's headquarters. As he walked the paths high above the city ground, he pondered what Leia might have kept secret.  
  
"May I help you, sir?" The guard asked him.  
  
"I need to speak with Princess Leia."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles."  
  
"One moment." The guard pressed a button and the door slid open. He walked in and another guard replaced him.  
  
"Your Highness, there is a Luke Skywalker and a Wedge Antil-"  
  
"Send them in."  
  
He walked outside to allow the two men in. Luke led the way up to the Chancellor's office through a complicated maze of lifts and corridors. When they  
  
arrived at the office, there were two guards at the door. They moved aside and the door slid open. Leia was looking out of a window. She turned and smiled at the two men. She was especially happy to see Luke. She wanted to run and hug him but restrained herself. Instead she walked quickly over to them. To her surprise, Luke hugged her. She figured that with her being the Chancellor she should greet people properly. She hugged Luke back happily. She was glad her brother was here.  
  
"How are you, Leia?" Asked Luke.  
  
"I've been better. We have to talk."  
  
"I know." Luke followed Leia into a room with a large desk in the middle. Leia went and sat at the desk and gestured to the empty seat in front of it. Luke sat down. He reached his hand out towards a second chair and it slid towards him. Wedge sat down here.  
  
"I left a few key parts out of my recording. I didn't want this information to get out too soon. Let me recap what I told you. The Bothans told us that a man named Darso Kentwood. He told them a laser wielding army enslaved him and many others. The Bothans confirmed that these lasers are actually lightsabers. There is a Sith Army growing on Gala. They training and becoming more powerful as we speak. Darso told us that they are planning to destroy the New Republic and finish what the Empire started. This cannot happen.  
  
"Now for what I left out. The Bothans managed to steal the plans to a new machine the Sith's slaves and captive robotics experts are trying to build. It is a mechanic suit. The pilot controls it from the inside. It will be able to wield a lightsaber or any type of weapon it can carry. It will be immensely strong and quick. If they succeed the Jedi will not have a chance against them. Even a lightsaber will not be enough to cut through its armor. It is possible for a lightsaber to cut through the armor, but only with time. In a battle, a Jedi wouldn't have time.  
  
"Word got out about these, many of our enemies would be lining up to buy them and use them against us. Luckily, the plans are only in their design stage. We have no evidence that any have actually been built.'  
  
Luke pondered this. "Who is the leader of the Sith?"  
  
"We don't know. We are planning on creating an army of troops from all of the planets in the New Republic to fight them. We outnumber them easily so we think we can stop them with minimal losses. Before I decided to start this plan off, I wanted your advice. What do you think?"  
  
"Don't send anyone. I think that this army is more powerful than you think. And they are sith. They will be able to easily defend themselves. At the moment, I have sent many of my students on missions to planets all over the galaxy to answer calls of help from the people. These missions are not of any real threat to the students. They should be able to handle them easily. And I sent Master's with each of them. I will consult with the Masters and pick a team of students and Masters to go with me on a stealth mission to try and eliminate their leader and find a way to cripple the army. We will try to turn as many as possible and turn the rest. About how many sith are there?"  
  
"We think about one hundred to two hundred individual sith. How are you planning to capture or kill that many?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I'm trying to figure out a way to short circuit there lightsabers with some kind of sound wave of something. But that is a long shot. Don't worry, Leia, we'll find away. So, how are you studies coming along?"  
  
Leia was also Force sensitive like Luke and was capable of being a Jedi as well. He knew the answer before she said anything.  
  
"Good. I'm improving, but it is hard to study being as busy as I have been lately. I'm still finding it hard."  
  
"Keep training. It will help you tremendously as head of the New Republic to learn how to harness the Force."  
  
Luke felt the Force begin to build in Leia. She held out her hand and took a deep breath. A glass figurine began to lift off of a nearby shelf. It slowly started to drift towards him. It was gliding smoothly but Luke felt a skip in Leia's concentration. The figurine fell and shattered on the floor.  
  
Leia sighed. "Keep practicing, Leia. You're doing great."  
  
"Thanks." Leia said slightly discouraged.  
  
Wedge stood and began to talk. "Princess, what do you want me to do now that my mission has been completed?"  
  
"Continue training your new squadron members. Thank you Wedge. You put your life on the line. I owe you a lot." Leia spoke genuinely.  
  
Wedge bowed and walked out of the room relieved. "Goodbye, Leia. I'll see you soon hopefully." Luke hugged his sister good bye and left the room.

* * *

**_Thanks to all who reviewed. Thanks for the support and advice. Hope you all liked chapter 6. Chapter 7 will be in soon._**


	7. Corellia

7

Corellia

The steady hum beneath him made Zeph want to just fall asleep. He hadn't slept much the night before. He was tired and on his way to Corellia with Master Moltes. He really wanted to do well. He wanted to impress Master Moltes, who seemed to either never notice Zeph, or notice just his flaws.

They were aboard an Academy ship. They weren't the best ships in the galaxy, but they weren't bad either. Just not the smoothest ride. But on the bright side, they would be there soon.

Zeph had been briefed on the mission after takeoff. It sounded like it should be easy. But harder missions weren't usually given to students of his age. Master Moltes didn't seem like he could be very useful in a fight. Maybe easy missions were reserved for him as well.

The ship neared Corellia and began to slow down. A few minutes later, the landing pad came into view. The ship landed with a slight bump and the two Jedi walked down the ramp and onto the landing pad. Master Moltes began to walk briskly towards the center of the city. A large building stood there. Probably the Corellian government compound.

The Jedi arrived at the front entrance where two guards stood at the door. "We are here under the request of Governor Crail." Master Moltes begun. The left guard nodded and turned. He punched in a command on a keypad implanted on the wall and the door slid open. The Jedi stepped inside and were greeted by a Rodian. The Rodian spoke a few words in Huttese. Master Moltes nodded and followed the Rodian down a corridor with Zeph right behind him. The Rodian led them to a large door and stepped aside, ushering them in. They walked inside and the door slid silently closed behind them.

A short man sat waiting at a desk at the back of the room. He was probably in his mid-forties, balding, and wore what seemed to be blaster resistant armor.

"I assume you are the Jedi that were sent?"

"Yes." Master Moltes answered the governor.

"Good. Well let's cut to the chase. I hate small talk and hate this gang even more. The last time we saw them, about three days ago, they robbed a shop selling speeders and killed every employee. They headed toward what we think is their hideout. An abandoned housing compound that we have seen them enter. You should look for them there. I want all of them dead no exceptions. Every last one! They are ruining my city, and losing me money. Do I make myself clear? Good. Now get out of here. I hate lightsabers almost as much as I hate low level personnel. Speaking of which, I haven't fired anyone today. Get out of here I have work to do!"

The Jedi bowed and left the room quickly. When they were out of the building, Master Moltes turned back towards the ship.

Zeph wondered Master Moltes's opinion on the governor. "He wasn't too friendly was he Master?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. But most people aren't these days. We'll head back to the ship and land closer to the housing compound."

Master Moltes's reply was quick and mission centered but Zeph was glad he was talking to him. Except for the briefing, he hadn't spoken a word to Zeph the entire trip. They reached the ship and took off. Master Moltes flew calmly east and landed after a few minutes. They were in a dark part of the city. A lone dug stood asleep a few yards away. He leaned against the compound entrance holding a gun in his feet. Zeph was still confused about the Jedi Master's plan.

"Master Moltes, the governor told us to kill them all. Are we going to do that?"

"Of course not. We will merely render them incapable of fighting and take them to Coruscant, were they will be locked up."

Zeph felt stupid. A Jedi wouldn't go on a killing spree because some cranky old man told him too. They approached the dug and Master Moltes pulled the gun out of his hands. He awoke with a start and froze. He had seen the lightsaber dangling from Master Moltes's belt. Master Moltes took a pair of binders from his belt and placed them around the dug's ankles. He then walked behind the dug and hit him hard with the butt of his lightsaber.

"So he can't alert the others." Master Moltes explained. The dug fell on the ground limp. The Jedi walked past him and entered the complex.

"We need to search every house." Said Master Moltes. The complex was one huge building, made up of doors placed next to and on top of each other. There were about two hundred doors; each to it's own home. Master Moltes walked to the far right door. He used the Force and the lock on the door was instantly disabled and the door slid opened. The one room home was dark and empty. They moved on to they next door and repeated the process. Again the room was empty.

They continued this way until for about seventy houses, jumping to the next level at the end of rows since the lifts were not working. Master Moltes unlocked the next door but it did not open. Zeph felt the Force and saw a second lock on the door. It seemed to be and interior addition to the door. The second lock was disabled and the door opened. The room was dimly lit. It had a large hole in the ceiling with a steel ladder coming from it. They began to climb and ended up in the next home up. There were large holes in the walls as well. They led to the next homes. Zeph turned into one of the homes and looked around. There were stolen goods all over the place. Piled into corners, thrown on furniture and just scattered on the floor. The rest of the little hideout was the same. But there was no gang.

Then they heard laughing. And footsteps. It sounded like ten to twenty people. Master Moltes jumped down the hole to the lower house. Zeph followed suit. They each took a side at the door. The door slid open. The gang was made up of humans, dugs, rodians and two, tall, six armed beings Zeph didn't recognize. They all entered the room and started climbing the ladder, not noticing the Jedi. Master Moltes stepped in front of the door and ignited his lightsaber. Its bright blue glow caught the attention of the gang. Zeph ignited his yellow lightsaber and stood next to Master Moltes.

"You are all under arrest. You will come quietly and no one will be harmed. Drop your weapons and start towards the door." Said Master Moltes. Zeph thought this was an idiotic thing to say. Surely the gang would not give up that easily?

The members of the gang began to drop their blasters. They began to line up and head for the door. Zeph was amazed. Why would they just end their campaign of robbery that quickly?

The force suddenly surged with warning. Zeph jumped to the side; Master Moltes to the other. A human jumped down through the hole and started shooting. He had two blasters and fired at both Zeph and Master Moltes. This distraction gave the other members of the gang time to grab their weapons and run out of the hideout. The two Jedi deflected blaster bolts as a rodian jumped down through the hole and helped his comrade.

"Zeph, take care of them catch up to me when you get done! Aim only for the hands and feet!" And Master Moltes backed out of the door.

Zeph kept deflecting blaster fire back towards his enemies, trying to knock their guns out of their hands. He began to creep closer and closer to them. He jumped forward and deflected a bolt in mid air. He landed and rolled towards the human and slashed. The human screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. The dug stopped shooting to look at his friend. The human's foot was severed and laying on the floor. He rolled around grasping his ankle, screaming. Zeph took the dug's pause to kick at the blaster rifle in his feet. It flew to the side crashed into the wall.

The dug held its feet in the air as a surrendering gesture. Zeph took out the binders and attached them to the dug's feet at the human's hands. He used a tow cable on his belt to tie them both to the ladder so the couldn't get away. Zeph turned and ran out of the door.

Zeph followed the force and searched for Master Moltes. He ran through the complex and out of the exit. He continued on down the street. A few minutes later he saw a heap on the ground. He stopped and turned it over. A rodian wore a pair of binders and a rather large bump on his head. Master Moltes had already gotten him.

Zeph heard blaster fire a good distance from him. He began running towards it. Along the way he came across the limp but living bodies of the gang. Only two had binders, Master Moltes must have run out, but all had bumps on their heads.

Zeph rounded a corner into an alley and saw Master Moltes. The two tall aliens were firing at him. Each of there combined twelve arms held a blaster aimed at Master Moltes. He moved like lightning, dodging and deflecting fire so fast that Zeph could barely see him.

Zeph leaped to Master Moltes's side and joined the fight. Master Moltes seemed relieved for the slightest second before again concentrating on the enemy. Zeph realized how these aliens had a severe advantage. Each shot was paired. So Zeph had to dodge both blasts, deflect both blasts, or dodge one and deflect one. And he had barely a split second to decide in between each pair of attacks. These unknown aliens knew what they were doing.

Master Moltes deflected almost every blast back towards the enemies. But they were quick and kept moving to avoid getting hit themselves. There was a small rock on the ground next to Master Moltes. Zeph saw the rock shoot up from the corner of his eye. Master Moltes grabbed it in his left hand. The Force began to swell in him as he threw the rock.

The rock was propelled by the Force. It flew so quickly, it seemed that the alien's gun turned on it's own. The alien didn't realize that his weapon turned to his side. He noticed and looked to the right. His friend had fallen. A hole in his temple marked where the rock-turned gun had shot him.

He was on his own now, against two Jedi. He stopped firing. He bowed his head and dropped all of his guns. His head was still down as Master Moltes approached.

"The New Republic has sent us to arrest the gang of Corellia. Will you come willingly?" Master Moltes asked almost breathlessly.

The alien nodded slightly. Master Moltes deactivated his lightsaber and began to lead the man towards the ship. Zeph deactivated his lightsaber as well and followed.

When they reached the ship, they locked the alien in a holding cell. They returned to each knocked out body and placed them in the cell. The last place they stopped at before leaving to city was at the governor's office. They told him of their success and left the planet.

"So Mr. Mardone, did you learn anything from this mission?" asked Master Moltes on the way to Coruscant.

"Yes, sir. The first thing I learned is that people are not always going to accept or like me as a Jedi. I know that I will probably live a life hated by a lot of people. And I may not always be welcome everywhere. I learned that from the governor. Secondly, I learned to never underestimate the power of the Force. I learned that from you. And thirdly, I learned that a lightsaber could stop a situation from occurring even when deactivated. I learned that from the first dug we encountered."

Master Moltes pondered for a moment. Zeph expected him to nod or turn away like always. He was surprised when Master Moltes smiled.

"I always knew you were a bright student. I knew you would be helpful during this mission. And you were. That's why I requested you come with me on this mission. Master Skywalker seemed to know why I did so as well."

Zeph was speechless. This from the Calamarian who usually never noticed him. Maybe he was going to be a good Jedi. He heard approval from to different Jedi masters in one day.

They dropped the prisoners off with a Coruscant security team. Then they started the return journey home.

Zeph realized how tired he still was. But his excitement kept it from getting to him.

* * *

Penguin Monk-The Masters List is not something to show who is better than who. It is something to aspire for. It motivates the students to have a deeper connection with the force. And they improve their lightsaber skills also. As to your other question, I wrote the academy classes according to how I recieved them when I read the books. You may be right. I wrote what I think is right. Thanks fork reading.

all-thanks for your reviews. keep them coming. sorry for the wait on this chapter. I will get 8 up soon. hope you enjoy it.


	8. The Sleepless Night

8

The Sleepless Night

It was getting late when the Academy ship landed in the hangar bay. Master Moltes dismissed Zeph and headed to his quarters. Most of the students were in their own quarters. Some students were sitting in dimly lit areas chatting quietly. It was very quiet. Zeph usually never stayed out this late. The Academy seemed quite different at night.

Zeph got to his quarters a few minutes later. He was exhausted. He put his lightsaber on the stand next to his bed. He took off his heavy travel cloak. He did not feel up to showering. He crashed into his bed in his day clothing. He jumped straight up. The small of his back ached in pain. He rubbed it as he looked at his bed.

A small device lay where his back went. He picked it up and pressed a button on it. A hologram was played onto his bed. A small version of Vendalla stood there with Wotapuk behind her.

"Zeph, if you get this tonight, meet us in the mess hall at one. We'll be waiting." Zeph did not really want to meet them. He was too tired. He had not slept the night before and had been on a tiring mission today. He looked at his clock. 12:54. He could get there in time. He didn't want to blow off his friends.

Five minutes later, he arrived at the mess hall. There was only one light on and it was only giving off a dim light. He saw the silhouette of Wotapuk sitting on a table under the light. Zeph went to sit down. Vendalla was sitting next to Wotapuk on the bench. She was talking to Wotapuk in a whisper when Zeph sat down.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We heard you were on a mission too. Wotapuk and I were sent on missions too. Wotapuk had to leave at two in the morning!"

Wotapuk started grunting in his language. He told of how he and Master Dulmahe were sent to Coruscant on a reconnaissance mission. They had to track down a malfunctioning protocol droid that held information that needed to stay out of the wrong hands. It had taken them two tiring hours to find it. Then they had to return it to the owner.

Vendalla's mission was quite different. "Master Xata and I went to Tatooine to find one of the most infamous criminals in the galaxy. Blaw Clyco! It was great. He was hiding there from inner rim government. He has the death sentence on four systems! We found him in a parts shop in Mos Eisley. HE had hired a couple of bodyguards in case somebody found him. Master Xata is amazing! She took out four of them in two swipes! I only had one, but he was huge! Then we captured Clyco and left him with the Mos Eisley officials."

Zeph thought she was done with her story. But she was only taking a breath to continue. "Then, when we got to our ship, there were a bunch of sand people trying to break into it. We took them out easily. We had a great time. I really like Master Xata. She's so good with a lightsaber. How was your mission Zeph?"

"Well, I went with Master Moltes. We went to Corellia to stop a gang of lowlifes." Zeph told them his story, trying to make it as sound as exciting as Vendalla's had been.

"Wow." Said Vendalla after he finished. "We were all sent on missions that were usually meant for older students. I talked to some students who were in the hangar before we left. They were all going on similar missions. I wonder what's going on?"

Wotapuk grunted. "Yeah, I'm getting tired too." Vendalla responded. "Let's call it a night."

"Okay, see you guys tomorrow." They all went different directions towards their quarters. There would only be another hour or so until Zeph got up. He needed sleep. He fell into his bed face first. He didn't have time to enjoy lying down. He was already asleep.

* * *

The room was dark and silent. The moon barely gave light into the room. It was pitch black. . There wasn't a single sound in the air. Not even breathing. A motion in the corner of the room. No sound. An indistinguishable outline glided towards the bed.

A small needle-like shape came out of the object. It came ever closer to the pillow...

The green blur that sliced through the outline was too quick; the outline was still hovering, inactive, for a second. It fell to the ground with a thud. The lightsaber deactivated and the lights came on. Luke had actually been awake for half an hour. He had sensed the droid enter the Academy and awoke. He had not moved an inch since he heard it. He had quieted his breathing to make it look as if he were asleep.

The droid was very small. About the size of Luke's hand. The needle was still intact. Luke reached down and picked it up. He did not recognize the fluid it contained. He would need to run a scan on it. He figured it was a deadly poison meant to kill him. But maybe it was something more. Whatever it was, it would help Luke figure out the mission and maybe the owner of the droid.

* * *

Zeph's hour of sleep turned into about twenty minutes when he rolled over in his sleep and hit the holo projector his friends had left him about their meeting. It activated and woke him up. After that he couldn't go back to sleep. So instead he left his quarters and went down to the mess hall early. The droids that usually prepared the food must not start until the students woke up. Since there was no food, Zeph went to one of the training grounds. Maybe this would wake him up.

He went to a datapad on the wall and pressed a button. A rusty silver protocol droid entered the room through a door on the far side.

"Hello Mr. Mardone. You're up early. What program would you like me to run?"

"The remote program please. Level eight."

"Yes, sir."

The droid went back through the door and the lights went out. It was absolute dark. There was no adjusting to this. Only the Force would help. Zeph heard a quick scrape of metal as a door opened in the ceiling high above. The remotes had entered the room.

Zeph knew there were eight of them. He had to destroy them all in order to pass. It wasn't imperative that he passed. Just a personal test.

He activated his lightsaber. He let the Force flow through him. He knew exactly where each remote was. The first one, to his right, fired a bolt. Zeph deflected it easily. He jumped forward and swung in mid air. The remote fell to the ground in a heap.

Two shots came from behind him. He deflected one back at the remote, destroying it. He dodged the other blast and jumped to the side.

Fire stated coming from each remote. Zeph jumped and twisted in the air. He landed bringing his lightsaber down on a remote. He immediately jumped to the left and destroyed another.

The fire increased in speed. He rolled towards the next remote and slashed upwards. Three left. The remaining three started moving faster. Zeph Twisted to his right dodging more fire. He jumped towards the wall opposite the remaining remotes and kicked off of it. He aimed and hit the next remote with his foot sending it crashing into the air. He landed hard on his heel and lost his balance. Before he could regain it, he fell. Using his momentum, he kicked the ground and began to spin on his back. He spun his lightsaber in his hands and deflected fire. He deflected each bolt. One blast hit another remote. One left. He stopped spinning and jumped to his feet. In the same motion he lashed out with his lightsaber and destroyed the remaining remote.

He breathed heavily as the lights came back on. The rest of the students would be up soon. The silver droid came back and Zeph deactivated his lightsaber.

"You did quite well. But you always do well with remotes. Would you like to try again, sir?"

Zeph shook his head. "No thank you." The droid left the room. He was alone.

The hairs on the back of Zeph's neck stood on end. He powered his lightsaber up again. Maybe he wasn't alone. He sensed someone watching him. He looked around but saw no one. The sense seemed familiar though. But he couldn't remember ever feeling this presence. Whoever it was, they could shield themselves really well.

Zeph heard people outside. Maybe it was just students waking up. Zeph powered down his lightsaber and left the room.

He headed back towards the mess hall. The students were awaking now. Some of them were going in the same direction as he was.

The loud sound of Wotapuk's voice called at him over the crowd. "Hey Wotapuk. What's going on?"

Wotapuk explained that he had an early class and he was late.

"Okay, see you later." Wotapuk ran off through the crowd of students. Zeph sat down in the mess hall next to Vendalla.

"Hey Zeph. Get a good sleep?"

"Uh, yeah. Great. You?"

"Good. But it seemed too early to get up this morning. What do you have today?"

"Just saber training. I'll probably rest after that. I have a feeling it will be hard. And I have saber training again tomorrow." Zeph made an excuse for resting, trying to hide how he had not slept well for the past few days. He didn't know why he didn't tell anyone about his sleep deprivation.

"I've got the day off. Tomorrow I have saber training."

They ate their breakfast without saying anything else. Zeph said goodbye and headed for his class. The instructor was Master Xata. It seemed she taught a lot of classes. So Zeph was used to her "I don't wasn't to be here" attitude. But she had been really happy the other day with Vendalla and Kye. So she probably liked being here. She just didn't show it.

"Okay. Mallem with Dietra. Haltek with Alecsander. Beindroff with Mieksel. Zeph with Storlon." She continued pairing students, but Zeph didn't hear her. Storlon?! He was paired with Storlon Na. Zeph couldn't have been happier. The best way to get back at Kye for beating him the other day would be to first beat his friend. Zeph also knew that Storlon was not a very good Duelist. He knew he shouldn't judge him by his lightsaber skills, but he was a jerk and he deserved it. Zeph moved cheerily to an open area for dueling. Storlon stood at the edge of the area, looking at Master Xata.

"Everybody bow. And activate your lighsabers. Try working on your feint offensive abilities. Okay. Begin."

Storlon held his lightsaber in a ready position. Zeph did the same. He heard everyone else beginning to fight. But he and Storlon just stared at each other. Zeph noticed that Storlon seemed jumpy. Almost like he had to urinate. Maybe he was scared. Good. That's how it should be.

Zeph suddenly jumped towards Storlon with his lightsaber held high. Storlon parried but stumbled backwards; Zeph hit him hard. Storlon quickly regained his balance and attacked. He struck clumsily, nervously, as if asking permission to hit Zeph. Zeph denied that permission. He parried each weak attack easily and struck hard.

Suddenly, Zeph felt a change in Storlon. He attacked more confidently. He dodged Zeph's hard attacks instead of parrying them and stumbling. Zeph found himself struggling to keep up with Storlon. How could he be so good all of a sudden?!

Zeph rolled to his side, evading an attack, and lashed out at Storlon. He parried and jumped at Zeph. Zeph struck at the mid-air Storlon. Storlon parried but had no ground to balance on. He rocketed back and landed in-between Beindroff Skalts and Mieksel Slayber. They both were shocked but continued battling around him. Storlon jumped up and evaded a lightsaber and jumped back towards Zeph. Zeph kicked of the wall and attacked. Storlon evaded with a spin and swung. Zeph rolled under his lightsaber and singed Storlon's leg.

"Ah!" yelled a surprised Storlon. He fell to the ground and grabbed his leg. Zeph walked past without glancing at him. Storlon slowly stood. Although Zeph had injured him, the battle was not technically over until a neck had been struck. Zeph turned and realized he had not one yet. Zeph suddenly felt a bit of respect for Storlon's unwillingness to give up. Zeph reactivated his lightsaber.

Storlon stabilized himself and activated his as well. The two took a moment to catch their breaths and attacked. Storlon attacked even more persistent than before. He was not going to give up. He and Zeph began parrying and attacking almost rhythmically. They did not stumble but kept up a steady amount of attacks and parries going. They fought for ten more minutes like this. Zeph jumped over Storlon's head and swung. Storlon parried and attacked hard. Zeph lost his grip and his lightsaber flew from his hand. It landed a few feet away as Zeph landed on his back. Storlon was tired. He attacked lazily. Relieved that the battle was over. But Zeph seized this chance. While Storlon wasn't attacking with full concentration. He kicked upwards and connected with Storlon's wrist. His lightsaber flew in the air above them. They both watched as the lightsaber fell. Zeph jumped up and in mid-air grabbed Storlon's lightsaber. The hilt was strange to Zeph but it didn't matter. He swung with great precision at Storlon, who was still stunned, and hit him in the neck.

He fell backwards, grimacing. Although the lightsabers were on low power, they still stung. Zeph looked around. He had not realized that the rest of the class had finished their battles and were all watching him. Storlon clutched his neck. He tried to stand but fell back onto the ground. Zeph didn't know why, but he reached out and grabbed Storlon's hand as he tried to stand again. Storlon was just as confused. They were enemies. They didn't help each other. But maybe Storlon wasn't that bad. Zeph handed him his lightsaber and turned to pick his up. Beating Storlon didn't seem as fulfilling as he had imagined. Still, he had won. And he learned something about Storlon as well.


	9. The Race

9

The Race

Zeph walked out of the training room with the rest of the students. Most talked together about their battles and laughed. The day was his now. No more classes until tomorrow. Maybe Vendalla and Wotapuk were done as well. He began searching the academy for his friends. He searched the landing bay, the mess hall, every corridor, and each of their rooms. Neither of them was in sight.

Zeph head back towards his room. He took a few short cuts he knew and arrived at the door in no time. Vendalla called out to him as he entered. He walked back out and smiled. She looked tired, but as always, she seemed happy.

"Hey Zeph. How was dueling class?"

"Good. We finished about thirty minutes ago. I couldn't find you so I came back here. Where's Wotapuk?"

"I haven't seen him. I think his schedule was packed today. So it's just us. Up for some food? I need a boost."

"Sure. Let's go." Zeph said. He walked alongside Vendalla towards the mess hall. "So where were you? You said you were off today."

" Training in a holo room. I was hoping to train with Master Xata, but she's busy today. Zeph, can I ask you something?"

Zeph nodded he had a strange feeling he knew what this was about.

"You seem tired. Not physically, but mentally. Have you been getting sleep?"

He was right. "I haven't slept for about three days or so. But I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you about fell asleep at breakfast this morning, I can feel that you are not in a great mood, and you keep kicking me and don't seem to notice."

Zeph looked down. Indeed he was kicking her in the back of her leg as he walked. He stepped away a little so he wouldn't kick her anymore. "Sorry." Zeph felt stupid. Obviously she didn't really care but what if she was a Master or something? He could have been in trouble.

'Let's just eat." Vendalla said as they entered the mess hall. "Maybe you will wake up."

They finished their snacks and began walking again. Aimlessly this time. They past the hangar and Vendalla turned around to face him. She had a wicked smile on her face. "Want to do something fun?"

"Like?"

Vendalla walked past him and into the hangar. She pointed into a corner where there were no people. Two speeder bikes were parked there without anyone watching them. She waved him in and they walked casually towards the bikes. Vendalla studied one of the bikes. She reached onto it and hit a switch. The bike rose slowly off the ground and hovered silently. She guided the bike towards the opening in the hangar. She looked at Zeph and mouthed out _come on._ Zeph hit the switch on his bike and followed.

Zeph had only been out of the Academy a couple of times. The vast forest that covered the planet was only a couple of meters away.

"Okay. Race to the Salathil Gorge. You know where that is right?" Vendalla asked.

"Yeah. The maps in the academy show it."

"Good. Ready?"

Zeph nodded and leapt on to his bike. Vendalla did the same. Zeph initiated the engine of the bike. It did not make a sound but Zeph knew it was ready to go. He had trained on the bikes before. He was pretty familiar with the controls.

Vendalla looked toward him. "3...2...1...Go!"

Zeph's vehicle lurched forward at an amazing speed. He angled the nose of his bike in the direction of the Gorge. Trees were everywhere. Zeph dodged them continuously. He looked back at Vendalla. He was ahead but only slightly. He tuned back around and saw a large tree that had fallen and adjusted the pitch controls. The bike flew above the trunk easily and came back to the ground.

The gorge was only a couple of miles away. But it was forest from start to finish. He continued dodging trees and around fallen branches. Vendalla pulled ahead of him to his right. Vendalla was fully concentrated on the race. Zeph knew that she would not let him win without a fight. He hit the booster and blasted past her.

Vendalla hit the boost as well but backed it with the force. She soared back into the lead and cut in front of Zeph. Zeph saw a large boulder ahead on a steep hill. He focused on the rock and the force. The rock moved slightly and began to roll down the hill. Vendalla ignited one of her lightsabers and threw in out in front of her. It slashed threw a tree and returned to her open and waiting hand. She put it back on her belt and kept going. The tree fell right in the boulder's path. The boulder slammed into it and jumped into the air. Vendalla released the controls and leaned back. Her back bent almost impossibly as she dodged the boulder. It passed over her and she sat back up.

"Is that all you've got, Zeph?" she laughed. Zeph was on her tail but she was winning. Zeph spotted the gorge up ahead. Then Zeph felt it. A disturbance.

"Vendalla. What's wrong?" he shouted.

"The stabilizer is faulty!" A small metal part of the bike broke off and sliced into Vendalla's arm as it flew by. Zeph saw her wince in the distance. Vendalla's bike began swerving in all directions. Zeph watched as her bike swerved toward the gorge at an uncontrollable rate. Zeph summoned the force and sped towards the gorge as Vendalla's bike flew over the edge and began to fall.

She had to be thousands of feet up. She concentrated on the force and stood on the falling bike. Vendalla kicked off and soared into the air, back towards the cliff's edge. Zeph slowed the vehicle as fast as he could, trying not to go over the edge. Vendalla landed in a kneeling position on the edge of the gorge. Zeph turned and slowly glided over to Vendalla.

She stood up and smiled. "You all right?" she asked. She breathed heavily and had a long gash on her right arm where the broken part hit her.

"Me? I'm good. How are you?" Zeph breathed heavily as well.

"Good. That was fun. But probably not the smartest thing." She laughed as she applied pressure to her arm.

Zeph nodded agreement and smiled too. Vendalla slid onto the back of the bike and Zeph took off toward the academy.

Zeph and Vendalla crept toward the hangar and slowly let the bike float to the ground. They hurried out and made their way towards the medical room. The droid there treated Vendalla's arm. They walked outside and ran into Wotapuk. He looked worried. He explained how he couldn't find them after his classes.

"Well we weren't exactly here." Explained Zeph. They told Wotapuk about their race and asked him about his day.

"So you had five classes today?!" Vendalla asked. Wotapuk grunted his affirmation. The three spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hidden paradise.

Zeph was determined to get a good night sleep. "Hey, I'm going to turn in tonight guys."

Both of his friends now knew about his sleep troubles in detail and understood. Her retired to his room and slept the entire night.

Luke was in the research lab. He hadn't got a chance to examine the liquid until now. He emptied the vial into a small dish and placed it into the hands of a strange looking droid. It was a new design that had been created for situations similar to this. The droid beeped and absorbed the fluid through its hands. It looked kind of like a protocol droid only shorter and easier to work with.

"This is strange. This liquid is similar to the poison found in kouhun assassin centipedes. But it has a different active chemical."

"What chemical is that?" asked Luke.

"I don't recognize it. I can break it down and tell you what it is meant to do but it may take a few days."

"Okay. Contact me when you find out."

Luke walked out of the room. It was late. But he still had more work to do. He had to assemble his team. HE had been watching many students carefully and sent many more on missions with Jedi Masters. One student caught his eye. Zeph Mardone. He had watched young Zeph train with remotes earlier that day. Luke remembered back to the time when he was training to be a Jedi. With Obi-wan. He too had trained with remotes. How he wished he had Obi-wan's guidance. And Yoda's. But even though they were gone, he was not alone. The force was his ally. He had to pick his team carefully. And plan the attack even more carefully. He still had to start designs for a device to disable lightsabers. His plan was to disable the lightsabers of this sith army and attack when they were weaponless.

Luke sighed. He had a lot ahead of him. He entered his room and began studying.

The light grew brighter and Zeph woke up. The "alarm light", as he called it, deactivated automatically when he woke up. He slowly stood up and stretched. He took a quick shower and headed out towards the mess hall.

Vendalla and Wotapuk were already eating. He sat down next to them and began eating as well. Wotapuk yawned loudly. He had had a busy day yesterday. "What's the schedules for today? I've got saber training."

"So do I." Said Vendalla.

"Right. I remember now."

Wotapuk grunted and barked for a few seconds. Speeder Bike lessons. The three laughed at this. Wotapuk separated from Zeph and Vendalla as they walked toward their classes.

"By the way, how did you do yesterday, anyway?" Vendalla asked.

"Oh yeah. I fought Storlon."

Vendalla laughed. "I hope you won!"

"Of course I did." Zeph laughed too.

Master Xata entered the room and stepped toward the students. "Okay. Here we go. I tell you your partner and you find and open area to duel and then we talk afterwards. You guys know by now. Harselk Mcfaller and Morris Hellund. Deh'ti and Spaller Hort. S'run Deltorg and Grote Pinal. Zeph Mardone and Vendalla Andalon."

* * *

Hey thanks for everybody's support. I enjoy getting reviews. Keep reviewing. Hope you like the new chapter. Oh. Before I forget, I will be adding a dictionary for star wars words at the end of my chapters for people who don't know much about the universe. For now I am going to define only one word.

cliffhanger- when the writer leaves the chapter at a suspensful moment without showing what happens next until the next chapter. Sorry.


	10. His Hardest Battle

10

His Hardest Battle

Vendalla gasped. Zeph had never fought against Vendalla. Ever. Sure he had fought alongside her. Plenty of times. But for some reason Zeph never thought about having to ever fight her. Or Wotapuk for that matter.

They stood rooted to the spot. "I said Mardone and Andalon you two." Master Xata said. "Get moving."

Zeph and Vendalla slowly turned to face each other. "Well, I guess we should find a duel ring, huh?" Vendalla said slowly.

"Yeah. Over here."

Master Xata began her pre battle statements.

"Hey Zeph. This isn't going to change anything right. I mean we'll still be friends if we win or lose, right?"

"Of course. Don't go easy on me though."

The shock of the situation ended there. It was just a duel between two friends. A spar. Nothing more. They laughed as they listened to Master Xata.

"Begin."

Zeph activated his yellow lightsaber. Vendalla activated both of her purple lightsabers and held them in a defensive position. They stood facing each other for over a minute, concentrating on their first move and meditating on their opponents. Zeph slowly crept forward in a defensive position. Vendalla took the offensive. She lunged forward, lightsaber first. Zeph jumped lightly to the left to avoid the attack. Vendalla was quick though. She slashed with the other saber as she turned back to face him. Zeph parried and immediately parried her second saber. Vendalla did not let up. She continued attacking, and left no opening for Zeph to attack. Zeph continued parrying attacks and avoiding them. They both jumped high into the air. The attacks from Vendalla did not halt as they jumped. She continued attacking without any sign of slowing. She attacked high, low, quick, powerfully, and kept varying her attacks. Zeph stayed on the defensive looking for an opening.

Vendalla slashed toward Zeph who parried the attack. He lunged toward her in an attempt to take the offensive nut to no prevail. Vendalla spun around with both lightsabers held out and attacked Zeph's feet. He jumped high in the air and landed on the raised area for onlookers to watch the class. This was an area used usually for students who wanted to watch their friends' battles. Or when Jedi Masters watched the students, in search of an apprentice. Today no one was up here. Zeph tool a quick breath thinking Vendalla would not follow. But Vendalla was right behind him. They continued fighting. Slashing, parrying, dodging and trying to land a blow. Neither was successful.

Zeph concentrated on the force as he avoided yet another slash at his stomach. He held his hand out toward Vendalla. The force surged from him and Vendalla stumbled backwards. Zeph dived forward and took the offensive. He attacked as fast and as hard as he could. He couldn't let Vendalla back on the offensive. He attacked swiftly and accurately. He aimed towards her neck but she ducked and swiped at his stomach. He hopped back to avoid this attack. Using this momentum he flipped backwards and landed kneeling. He dove forward again trying his hardest to keep the battle in his control.

Vendalla twisted around to the left and jumped out of the way of Zeph's next attack. She put herself at some distance from Zeph. She summoned the force and in an attempt to pull Zeph off balance, pulled him towards her.

The force had already prepared Zeph for this. But instead of trying to resist the attack, he went with it. Using the momentum of the force that Vendalla had summoned, he dove forward, feet first, at an incredible speed. Vendalla had not expected this but jumped out of the way easily.

Zeph and Vendalla both turned around to face each other again. They attacked at the same time. They locked sabers as they parried each other's attack. Trying to force the other off balance. Their lightsaber sizzled and snapped as the two pushed on. Smoke began to slowly rise from the two locked sabers. Vendalla brought back her second saber. It was then that Zeph realized that unless she did something fast, he would lose. This was the move that Vendalla used against Storlon in their team battle the other day. She had him trapped and they both knew it. While he was locked with one saber the other would come down on him and strike his neck.

Vendalla attacked with her free lightsaber. Time seemed to slow as Zeph saw the lightsaber coming closer and closer. It came at a very fast speed. Zeph dropped to his back. In doing so he broke the saber lock and avoided Vendalla's attack. He jumped up but was attacked immediately. This close escape from losing came at a price. Vendalla now held the upper hand in the battle. He continued to parry attacks. He fought through his disappointment in losing the offensive. Then Zeph had an idea. He backed to the edge of the onlooker's area as he dodged an attack at his knee. He summoned the force and back flipped upwards. He landed on a pipe. The upper part of the high training rooms is where the pipes and supports were located. Vendalla did not back out yet. She jumped and landed on a pipe just above Zeph's.

Zeph jumped up to the pipe to meet her. They attacked each other as they jumped to an adjacent pipe. _This is suicidal._ Thought Zeph. They fought for control as they edged back towards the wall. Vendalla was trapped between Zeph and the wall. She had only one escape. She turned and jumped. She aimed herself towards the onlookers' platform. She landed and immediately went into a roll. She landed on her feet with out a scratch. The jump had to be at least fifteen meters down. Zeph jumped down after Vendalla. He landed in a roll as well. As he landed, Vendalla jumped back at the wall and kicked off from it. She dived both lightsabers first at Zeph. Zeph jumped above her and attacked as he spun. She twisted in the air to avoid his attack and landed on her feet.

She attacked again and took the offensive. Zeph parried the attacks. But Vendalla was pushing him towards the edge of the platform. He hopped backwards and landed on the ground below. Vendalla jumped down and attacked in mid-air. Zeph jumped over her head and twisted around. He hit the wall feet first and kicked off of it. Zeph spun with his lightsaber out in a whirlwind attack. Vendalla barely jumped backwards to avoid the attack.

Zeph's muscle ached. He more tired than any time he could remember while in a duel. Zeph could tell that Vendalla was tired ,too. They both had sweat dripping down their faces. Zeph pushed on. He took the offensive and attacked towards her knee. She jumped over him and spun around with her lightsabers both aimed at his stomach. Zeph barely moved out of the way. Vendalla parried another attack. She jumped out at Zeph. He was prepared to attack her attack. Vendalla flipped in mid-air and attacked. Zeph parried her attack but lost his balance. Vendalla flipped and twisted to land on her feet. She landed not two inches from Zeph. Using the momentum she built she spun again. The lekku that hung limp from her head slapped hard into Zeph. The two lekku hit him square in the chest and he fell on the ground, flat on his back. His lightsaber flew from his hand as he landed. Vendalla swiftly tapped him on the neck with her lightsaber. The battle was over.

They both breathed heavily and their tunics were damp from sweat. Vendalla reached out a hand to Zeph. He took it with no hesitation. As he stood up he felt relieved. "Good battle." He said in between breaths.

"Very." Vendalla said. They both laughed as they hunched over catching their breaths. Zeph used the Force and his lightsaber flew into his hand. He clipped it on his belt and realized that he was being watched.

The rest of the students had finished their battles, and Master Xata and the class had been watching them. Master Xata had a smile that seemed to be stuck on her delighted face.

"Miss Andalon, I knew I put you on the Duelers List for a reason. And Mr. Mardone, you too shall be added to the List." She turned and addressed the class. "Trust in the Force is all you need. A perfect connection to the Force is more important to a Jedi than his lightsaber, but only by a little bit. You all may go."

* * *

Keep reading everyone. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it.

Lekku- the "tails" that hang from a Twi'lek's head, somewhat like a replacement for hair.


	11. Luke's Plan

11

Luke's Plan

Zeph nearly fell over. Maybe out of exhaustion, maybe out of shock. He would never know. The Dueler's List? Zeph could hardly believe it. Ever sincew he had heard about the list, he knew he wanted to be on it. Only slightly disappointed that he hadn't beaten Vendalla, Zeph walked out of the room.

Vendalla was right behind him. "Wow! Good job!" Beads of sweat dotted her head. "I knew you could do it." She breathed heavily until they had gone a few more steps.

"Thanks." Zeph was too tird to talk much. They walked in silence, a quiet, meditative, peaceful silence. Zeph felt at peace. What an accomplishment. Sure he had lost the duel, but he had proven himself good enough to be on the list.

"Let's find Wotapuk, we have to tell him the good news." Vendalla suggested cheerily. Zeph acknowledged how happy she was. She would never admit it, but was she happy because she had won? It wasn't really that much of a surprise. She had always been a good duelist. Maybe she was just happy for him. It would be more like her.

"Alright. Think he is still in class?" Zeph didn't think so. The length of the last class was too long for Wotapuk to still be in his.

"No, let's head to the mess hall. If he's not there maybe he's in his quarters." Zeph nodded in agreement and the pair headed toward the mess hall. The mess hall was unusually empty. How late was it? But their was a still a few people, eating, chatting amongst themselves. Wotapuk was sitting alone at a table, chewing on the remains of his meat. He looked upset.

"Maybe we should wait to tell him." Vendalla whispered upon seeing him. Zeph silently agreed as they drew closer. They sat down on either side of their friend. Vendalla asked quietly, "Something wrong?"

Wotapuk let out a pitiful groan. "What happened?" Zeph asked. Wotapuk pulled a metal object up from underneath the table. It looked oddly like a transfuser for a speeder. Wotapuk explained in his moans and grunts. Zeph suppressed laughter, for his friends sake. "What was left of it?" He asked, wondering how badly the speeder was damaged.

Wotapuk held up the piece in his hand and moaned pitifully. "That's all?" Vendalla asked, raising an eyebrow. "How did you manage to disentegrate all but the transfuser of the speeder? You must have…ran it into the the temple's power converter or something. Wotapuk glared at Vendalla. She smiled as she realized that indeed, he had done this.

Zeph laughed, and set off a chain reaction. Vendalla joined in , and after a few moments, so did Wotapuk. He might be clumsy, and not the best with a saber, but Wotapuk did have a good sense of humor. And he had other strengths as well.

* * *

"Master Skywalker, I have the information you requested."

Luke turned to the droid and nodded. "What do you have on it?"

"The unknown chemical is a poison that enters the bloodstream and lays dormant until it reaches the brain. Then it targets and destroys the midiclorians in your body, mainly the ones in your brain cells."

Luke only stared at the droid. Was it possible that the Sith had come up with a weapon capable of severing a Jedi's connetion to the Force? This was devastating news. "You may go…" Luke said, slightly dazed.

Now he needed not only to finish his plan for infiltrating the base undeteted, create a device to target the Sith lightsaber (while still allowing the Jedi to use theirs), and now, he also had to find a means of protection against this new weapon.

He needed help. He couldn't do all of this on his own, even with the help of the Force. Luke stood from his chair in the lab and pressed a few buttons on a console on the wall. The screen flickered, and Leia appeared. "Sister, I need your help."

Leia looked stressed as it was. Hopefully she would be able to help him. "What can I do for you, Luke?" She asked, a tired, but genuine smile on her face.

"I need a team of two to five people who are good with mechanics. I need some of the brightest minds you can find." Luke replied. Maybe with some help, Luke could concentrate on one or two things on his list of things to do. And the team could take care of the creation aspects.

Leia pressed a button on her desk and nodded. "I'll do the best I can, Luke." She said, already moving to a Communications System.

"Thank you, sister."

* * *

Oh my it has been a long time. I'm so sorry for taking so long on this one. I am trying to update all (both) of my current stories, so be on the lookout for more in the near future. Thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming. I'm sorry this one is somewhat short…


	12. Meeting the Team

**Star Wars**

**Dark Path**

**Chapter 12**

**Meeting the Team**

Luke lifted his head from his desk and looked up at the door. The soft knock came moments afterward. Despi was at the door, Luke could sense. "Come on in."

Despi entered and looked around the room. Luke's quarters were a little bit of a mess. With Luke working so hard lately, he hadn't had much time to keep clean/ Despi shook his head and turned to Luke. "Master, I just received word from Coruscant that a Medium Rebel Transport is on its way."

"Thank you, Despi. That must be the team I requested. When is it due to arrive?"

"Within the day sir, apparently, it has been in flight for a good while already. Might I ask, Master? Why are they sending you a starship that is so old?"

Luke pondered the thought. The Medium Rebel Transports were at least ten years old in design. He was sure that Leia used it as a way to avoid attention, but one could never be sure. "I would guess for security reasons, but apart from that, I know as much as you do."

Despi nodded. He seemed satisfied with this answer, but he still pondered the old ship. Luke watched the man with intrigue as Despi's facial expression clearly spoke what he was thinking. Luke decided to clear things up. "Leia is sending me a team to help me with my plans to stop this Sith army."

Despi nodded again. "Master, is there anything I can get you? A glass of Java Juice?"

"Oh you know I don't drink that, Despi."

"Yes, I know." He said quietly. Something was on Despi's mind, and he was beating around the bush. It was time to find out what was up.

"What's wrong, Despi?" Luke asked compassionately. Despi had been his friend since Rouge Squadron. He didn't like to see him suffer, and at the moment, something was definitely troubling him.

Despi looked from Luke to the floor, and then back to Luke. "I…I think you are over exerting yourself. I'm worried about you."

Luke chuckled quietly. "I see. You don't have to worry about my, old friend. I'll be fine. In fact, I think I might go take a nap, my bed might be slightly more comfortable than this desk." Luke stood with a smile and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks for you concern, but I'm fine."

Despi nodded. He seemed to be, again, satisfied. "I'll leave you in peace then." The man swiftly turned and exited the room. Luke was glad he could set his friend at ease. But unfortunately, bed was not his destination. Luke sat back down at his desk and began re-reading some of the information he had been reading the night before. Things had to get done. And quickly.

Luke had a plan. He knew that no one else would be happy with it, but with so few options, there wasn't any other way.

* * *

Zeph stretched his arms above his head as he sat up. Morning. Not his favorite time of day, but it was good for meditating. The peacefulness of the early morning made everything easier to concentrate on. Zeph felt around with the Force, listening to everything going on in the area. A few students were walking through the halls, presumably to breakfast, or maybe to spar with each other. A fly was buzzing around in the next room over. A student tossed in their bed, not wanting to wake up yet.

It was in times like this that Zeph felt truly connected with the Force. He felt like nothing could surprise him, no one could defeat him, and he could take on the entire galaxy if he had too. But, there was always an end to good things.

Zeph felt footsteps headed in his direction, toward his quarter's door. He reached out, trying to figure out who it was before they arrived. But he was trying to hard. He was letting the Force tell him what he wanted to know. The knock came softly, a light tap that rang three times.

Judging by the lightness of the knocking, it must be Vendalla. Sure she was the most deadly student with a lightsaber that he knew, but she was also very soft natured. Zeph called out for her to enter quietly. As the door slid open, and Vendalla stepped in, she realized that she had interrupted him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Zeph. Should I go?" Her voice was filled with apology.

"Oh, no." Zeph reassured her. "Come in." He stood up and stepped over to his bed. No Jedi should have a disorganized room. Zeph pulled the sheets up to the pillows and tucked them in quickly, smoothing out the wrinkles afterward. He then sat down and gestured to Vendalla to sit as well. She smiled, but shook her head.

"Hey Wotapuk said he was going to apologize to Master Shen for destroying one of the speeders. I was wondering if you wanted to spar or something while he was doing that. Master Shen will probably have Wotapuk put together a new one with scrap parts, and that could take days, or weeks for Wotapuk."

Zeph chuckled at the insult toward his Wookie friend. It was fun giving him a hard time. Zeph nodded. "Alright. Though I doubt I will be much of a mach for you."

Vendalla grinned mischievously. "I'll go easy on you." She said a she turned toward the door. Zeph reached out and his lightsaber jumped into his hand from its spot on the table beside his bed. As the two walked, Zeph noted how many of the students behaved at this hour. It was still very early in the morning. The only students that were up were those who liked the mornings, or were from races that didn't need as much sleep as others. They did different things. Some of them joked around with their friends; others practiced their ability to manipulate items with the Force, making objects fly around them.

The Twi'lek and the human arrived in one of the many training rooms. Zeph went to the keypad on the wall, and locked the doors so that they wouldn't be disturbed. The upper flight of the room, used for watching the training, was still open of course. Zeph turned to Vendalla, and saw that she was stretching, preparing herself physically. She wore a dark gray tunic that resembled the one Master Skywalker usually wore. Hers was lighter, but it was the same style, used by those Jedi who liked to be able to move easily, the more active Jedi. Master Xata also wore the same type, as did Zeph. Master Moltes, whoever, preferred to fight with the force, and didn't depend on his agility as much as Vendalla and those like her. Therefore, he used a longer, more elegant tunic. It showed his power in the force. He hardly ever was seen running around like a fool, except when running after criminals with Zeph.

Vendalla finished stretching her arms and legs, and moved on to her sides and neck. Zeph sat down and put himself in a meditative state, preparing himself in his own way. This was the advantage of sparring, as opposed to real life battles. Here, one had time to prepare, but out in the real world, in a real fight, everything was much faster, and time was often more scarce.

As Zeph focused on the Force, prepared himself for the fight. A normal person would have had to take at least a few days off after the fight he had had with Vendalla yesterday. But a Jedi was much better conditioned, and both Zeph and Vendalla could go another round easily.

After about ten minutes of focusing and stretching, Zeph and Vendalla both nodded to each other. Zeph was the first to start his lightsaber. Vendalla then activated both beams of purple and positioned herself in a ready stance.

Zeph held his saber loosely with both hands. He examined Vendalla's fight stance, assessing her possible weak points and areas he could target first. The dark haired human darted forward, bringing his saber down low, aimed at Vendalla's right foot. Vendalla leapt with ease over him and flipped over in mid-air, aiming down at his back. Zeph knocked the attack away and the Twi'lek landed in front of him. With two quick swipes, Vendalla attacked two distant points on Zeph's body at once. Zeph leaped over then low attack, while parrying the high one. He didn't stop or hesitate and brought his own saber down at an angle toward Vendalla's stomach. She easily deflected it and attacked simultaneously. With an awkward twisting movement, Zeph leaped backward and struck the opposing saber with his own.

Vendalla smiled. "Good one." She commented.

Zeph laughed as he attacked again. The Twi'lek girl deflected his attack, and struck out with a series of swipes and stabs. Zeph did his best to parry them, but he had to dodge a few. Vendalla didn't let up with the attack. She swiped down low with her left saber, and then quickly spun clockwise to slash out with her right. With another clockwise half-turn, she swiped out with a quick shot from the lightsaber in her left hand. Zeph moved his weapon quickly into position and blocked all three attacks. With a burst of energy, he shot forward and slashed Vendalla's left lightsaber away and aimed at her hip. But she was too fast. With a quick turn, she parried his attack easily and smoothly moved into her next attack.

* * *

Luke walked briskly but calmly through the halls of the Academy. No one had told him yet, but he could feel that the ship was a few minutes from landing. And he wanted to greet them. As well as give them their assignments. Luke slowed his pace as he began to approach the hangar. Their were a few people in their, a protocol droid, a few pilots lounging around wishing they had something to do, a Jedi who was getting out of a fighter pilot returning from a mission. Luke stopped beside the vast door that she ship would be landing in. If the ship was going to be leaving soon, he would have had them land in the landing area near the front of the Academy, but the ship was staying with the experts, waiting to take them home whenever it was time.

"I see you felt it to."

Luke smiled and turned to Despi. "I did. I'm glad I wasn't the only one."

Despi sighed and smiled. "So how was your nap?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

It was no use trying to lie. Despi knew he hadn't gone to sleep. "It was good, I think I made some progress."

Despi nodded, worry still on his face faintly. Luke was glad his friend was worried about him, but the worry was unnecessary.

Both men looked up as the sound of the ship was heard in the distance. It was approaching at a good speed for a ship of its age. Luke had an idea that it wasn't as old and helpless as it looked. A few moments later, the ship was gliding slowly into its position in the hangar. As it touched down, Luke and Despi approached the opening and stood waiting. The ramp opened and touched the ground with a light tap. A figure was already at the top of the ramp. It moved down slowly, clearly exerting a lot of strength. This person must be elderly. A few others came behind him, younger looking. There was about five of them. Good. This would help him a lot.

The elderly Klatooinian spoke first, with a pronounced effort. "Master Skywalker…I am…Spephlek. We are…here to help…you."

"Thank you, I look forward to seeing what you can do." Luke said. The elderly man turned to a Duros behind him. The Duros nodded and stepped forward. "I am D'nox Ti. I will introduce you to the rest of the team." Luke nodded, and D'nox Ti turned and gestured to the next person in line. This one was a human female.

"This is Taylia Manara. She is one of the smartest humans we've come across who meet the requirements you asked for. She is also the youngest. She is only seventeen. This is Cha'ni." D'nox gestured to a Zabrak female. "She is very good at building, specifically weapons. She has created some of the newer models of Laser Pistol that are in use on Coruscant today."

The Duros man moved to the last man. It was a Rodian. "This is Fra'mel Chiznox. He is one of our brightest trainees out of the Coruscant Academy of Engineering."

The Rodian excitedly exclaimed something in his native language, one that Luke didn't know.

D'nox Ti spoke up. "He says it is an honor to work with you."

"I'm glad you're enthusiastic." Luke nodded with a smile.

D'nox moved up to the elderly leader. "And our leader, and one of the most brilliant minds on Coruscant you have already met."

Luke smiled happily. This was good. "Hello all of you and welcome to the Jedi Academy. I hope your stay is comfortable, we can provide nearly anything you need. But this is also not a leisure trip. Your task is of the utmost importance, and the Safety of the New Republic might rest in our hands. If you'll follow me, I will show you where you will be sleeping, and where the labs are. Then we can go over the tasks your help is needed on.

The group nodded and lined up as they had when they came down the ramp from their ship, Spephlek in the lead. With the elderly man, the group slowed down greatly, but Luke was patient. If Spephlek was as brilliant as the Duros claimed, the slow pace would be worth it.

* * *

_Hey everyone. I hope you liked the latest chapter. Not a lot of action, but some new faces that I plan to have a good time with. Your support is greatly appreciated, and I hope you continue to read and reply. _


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